Sunday, December 31, 2006

I recently interviewed artist Drew Ernst. Drew is a talented artist with a keen eye for realistic detail. His work deals with love, hate, joy, and sadness. The full spectrum of emotion is conveyed within the context of his art.

Mr. Ernst polished his painting skills through studying with accomplished artists including Sidney Goldman, Peter Paone, and Bo Bartlett. Drew was also a pupil of the accomplished artist and poet Martin J. Garhart.

This serious painter embraces the traditional techniques of painting. His high level of skill is obvious upon viewing his body of work.

Drew is currently painting full time and lives with his girlfriend Amy and his dog Pocket.

Q. When did you first discover that art would be an important part of your adult life?

A. "In high school I knew.They let me leave at noon so I could go home and work independently on my art. I had self motivation art isn't something that someone else can make you good at,so I guess that was just something that was built into my head."

Q. How has society influenced your art? Are there any social implications in your art?

A. "Yes. Mostly politics and whatever is going on in the world my main gallery is in D.C. so it's great to have an underlying theme to the work in a place where the audience is up to the minute on current events."

Q. On average, how long does it take you create one painting?

A. "My large paintings take one to two months depending on the complexity on the image the large pieces range from 7ft-14ft."

Q. Do you have any 'studio rituals'? As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?

A. "My biggest studio ritual is to turn on Internet radio through my stereo first thing with out that I would be crazy."

Q. If you could pinpoint the characteristics of people who collect your art, what would they be?

A. "Lawyers"

Q. Discuss one of your pieces. What were you thinking when you created it?

A. ""The Inside" Two people lying on the wood floor it's very cinematic viewing from above the figures make a kind of yin yang shape. It's a painting of breaking apart and coming back together, I think it's a painting people can relate to."

Q. Do you have a degree or do you plan to attend school for art? If so, how did it help you as an artist? What can you tell us about the art department that you attended?

A. "I attended The Pennsylvania Academy of The Fine Arts (PAFA) the oldest art school in America.I went to PAFA because I knew I wanted to be a fine artist they only have three disciplines painting, printmaking, and sculpture. At PAFA you learn by doing you work all day every day on your craft its a place for self motivated people you get out of it what you put into to it. This is where I really learned how to draw and paint."

Q. Why did you choose the medium(s) that you use?

A. "Oil painting was a mysterious medium to me I came from a very small town nobody could teach oils to me so I learned watercolor first I waited until college to learn oils from people I admired."

Q. Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?

A. "Zenith gallery in D.C. I have a show there right now thru January"

Q. What was the toughest point in your career as an artist? Have you ever hit rock-bottom?

A. "The toughest part was getting out of art school. I was creating work trying to find a gallery with no money and no outlet for my work. "

Q. In one sentence... why do you create art?

A. "I like to see what it's going to look like in the end."

Q. What can you tell our readers about the art scene in your area?

A. "There is no art scene where I live at the moment in Ohio so I travel to D.C. & NY regularly."

Q. Does religion, faith, or the lack thereof play a part in your art?

A. "Maybe in some subconscious way."

Q. Is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the 'art world'?

A. "My work has a focus on large contemporary figurative oil paintings. Images just come into my head I paint them and try to make sense of them. The art world is great it allows me to do what I want and what I love."

I hope that you have enjoyed my interview with Drew Ernst. Feel free to critique or discuss his work.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

I recently interviewed artist Aleksandra Mir. Aleksandra is an artist who after living in New York for 15 years recently moved to Palermo, Sicily. She was born in Poland in 1967 and grew up in Sweden. She holds a dual Swedish / American citizenship. This is an artist who has shown extensively internationally. She has held solo exhibitions at major galleries and museums around the world.

Mir's art is focused on faith in possibility, and those coincidences that make an expanding world a little smaller. She is known for challenging the boundaries of traditional artistic practice while conveying her vision.

Aleksandra's studio is society at large. In a sense, the world is her canvas. She is inspired by what she observes in society and dispatches those thoughts in a variety of creative ways. From publishing biographies of 'average' people to transforming a Dutch beach into a lunar surface and declaring herself the "first woman on the moon", Aleksandra confronts ‘what if?’ with great enthusiasm and direction.

Mir advocates new ideas of community by forming strong collaborative relationships and encouraging public interaction with her art. She approaches her artistic practice as a form of visionary experimentation in order to give critical analysis of, and positive alternatives to, authoritative superstructures.

Q. You have been featured in ARTnews and Art Forum. Is it stressful being covered by large publications or do you simply throw caution to the wind? Care to share any experiences you had?

A. "No it is not stressful. I like publishing and participate in what I can."

Q. You have an upcoming solo exhibit at The Power Plant. You will be showing 'Organized Movement - A video diary'. This will be your first project to be exhibited in Canada. Can you tell our readers about Organized Movement? What thoughts are behind this work?

Q. You were featured in the USA Today exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery.Can you tell our readers about that experience?

A. "The art collector Charles Saatchi bought my work from my London gallery greengrassi and put in a group show at the Royal Academy of Arts together with the work of other American artists of my generation."

Q. You have a background in mass media and communications, media arts, and social anthropology... how do they all tie together with the art you create? Do you find inspiration from those sources?

A. "They all help me to stay awake and not sink in too deeply with either one."

Q. Out of all of the exhibits you have been in which one do you think was the most important for you as an artist?

A. "Update, Copenhagen 96, an artist run month long event organized by Jes Brinch, Henrik Plenge Jakobsen, Jens Haaning, Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen, Michael Elmgreen, Ingar Dragset and other at the time Copenhagen based artists who were the first to produce my work in a public context.

They had invited over 100 participants through their own informal network to come to Denmark, co-exist and create work together. The formal artworks spilled over in live and direct negotiations about the validity of art,which spilled over into the forming of actual relationships which spilled over into more work being created.

I have since taken part in over 100 other shows, but no prestigious biennial or institutional exhibit has offered me anything close to the dynamic, freedom, risk or energy as that first one. More importantly, it set the moral tone for me and myself-initiated projects so it is in effect always present and continuosly affects the way I work."

Q. Beauty Free, Cold War Hot Stuff and Real Real Estate Flowers belong to a series of twenty huge drawings that you created with a team of sixteen assistants. Can you discuss this series and what it means to you? What about the process... how did these works come into being?

Q. When did you first discover that art would be an important part of your adult life?

A. "When I was 11, I rewrote and directed a live version of 'the Muppet show' for and with my class in fifth grade, casting myself as Kermit. It was really hard to find green stockings for it, but when that part worked out,I had a sense of artistic fulfillment. Possibly for my first time, although I cannot fully remember."

Q. How has society influenced your art? Are there any social implications in your art?

A. "My friend Lisa Anne Auerbach and I have just deemed 2007 to be the year of the Death of Social Art Practice, so hopefully, the answer is: NO!"

Q. Do you have any 'studio rituals'? As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?

A. "Not being hungry helps a lot. If I have assistants in the studio, the breaks and meals in between work hours become the highlights of the day. Music is always resolved democratically. I have had to learn to listen to and eat everything."

Q. Discuss one of your pieces. What were you thinking when you created it?

A. "In the next episode of the sitcom 'art world' a group of Columbia grad students will go berserk in Manhattans Chelsea gallery district wrecking artworks, burning galleries, raping gallerinas and keeping art dealers hostage against huge amounts of ransom money.

In the episode after that, their arrests, court sentences and jail time will be dealt with.

In the following episode again, we will start seeing glimmers of redemption as the by now 30 year old former art students would have spent over a decade in various correction facilities, developing strange new strands of really interesting outsider art.

In the fourth episode the most talented of these born again artists will be offered to be in a big spectacular group exhibition at the new New Museum in New York called "Full Circle". It will be the most influential show of the decade setting the tone for the next generation."

Q. Any tips for emerging artists?

A. "Don't even think of getting involved with drugs. Limit your drinking. Only social smoke. Eat basic nutritious foods. Dress warm. Be honest. Be on time. Be generous. And with all this, stay angry."

Q. Has your work ever been censored? If so, how did you deal with it?

A. "Yes. I wrote angry emails in response."

Q. What was the toughest point in your career as an artist? Have you ever hit rock-bottom?

A. "True misery knows no bottom. You can always fall deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper and...."

Q. In one sentence... why do you create art?

A. "To keep myself out of actual trouble."

Q. What can you tell our readers about the art scene in your area?

A. "My artists friends are spread out all over the world so there is no particular or fixed geographic location for the dialogues that I am involved with.

Some of us meet regularly on the road for an event somewhere, or we travel and visit each others homes.

I live in Palermo, Sicily now and I don't participate in any "scene" there at all, unless you count regular visits to the church, the beach and the market."

Q. How has politics entered your art?

A. "Facing the dilemma of paying tuition for an art education or not was my first political point of awareness connected to art. It felt like a very serious decision at the time that then would have life long political implications.

The question of a financial investment in relation to the factual outcome of an artwork is still a highly charged subject for me."

Q. Does religion, faith, or the lack thereof play a part in your art?

A. "The closest I get to religion is in that I try to seriously engage with and maintain certain originally religious traditions and rituals that I like. A lot of my work also has a celebratory aspect to it that perhaps can be seen as verging on ceremonial worship. I also need to have a lot of faith in good weather when dealing with big public and ephemeral events. But that's pretty much it."

Q. Is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the 'art world'?

A. "In the Fifth episode of the sitcom 'art world' we will see a whole generation of new Columbia grad students copying the 'Full Circle' masters again, and the story starts over."

Q. Care to tell us about any other upcoming exhibits that you are involved with?

A. "This year I am taking it easy. No exhibitions are planned. I am trying to learn how to cook traditional food, overcome my fear of driving and get to know people I already know even better. I am also studying the history of typography so I can involve a deeper level of awareness of type when incorporating it in my drawings. Maybe next year there will be some more concrete results in all these departments."

I hope that you have enjoyed my interview with Aleksandra Mir. I'd like to thank Aleksandra for doing this interview. She took time out of her schedule to fit it in (which is why some questions were answered with links to her website). Feel free to critique or discuss her work.

Friday, December 29, 2006

I recently interviewed artist Bill Lewis. Mr. Lewis is a founder-member of The Medway Poets and the Stuckists art group. He studied art at Medway College, where he met Billy Childish. He later met Charles Thomson. All of them, with Miriam Carney, Sexon Ming, and Rob Early formed The Medway Poets group. The group turned out to be the foundation of the Stuckists movement.

Mr. Lewis has published six books of poetry and three of short stories. His writing is included in The Green Man (Viking Press), World Fantasy Award winner, as well as The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (1997)and (1998). His work was also published in The Grandchildren of Albion, edited by Michael Horowitz. (On a side-note, Mr. Lewis helped edit 'Six Turkish Tales' (Hangman Books 1987) by Tracey Emin).

In 2005 he founded The Medway Delta Press. The first project was a limited edition set of 3 CDs entitled Voices From The Medway Delta, featuring work by Billy Childish, Sexton Ming, Chris Broderick, Bill Lewis, and other key names in the Medway scene. The Medway Delta Press has also published a DVD documentary by Carol Lynn on Stuckism.

Mr. Lewis gave up working visually for over fifteen years. However, in 1997 he started to produce prints and paintings again. His paintings are full of energy. They are marked by a strong use of color and an expressive use of the brush. The art he produces today is full of the intensity that was customary in his earlier work.

Q. You were one of the 12 founder members of the Stuckists art group. How did you meet Charles Thomson, Billy Childish, and the others?

A. "Charles Thomson Billy Childish and Sexton Ming and myself were members of the Medway Poets Group along with Rob Earl and Miriam Carney. We got together in 1977/78 and carried out poetry reading and performances in the Medway Towns and North Kent. Reading at the first Kent Literature Festival in Gravesend. We soon got a reputation as giving lively performances.

In 1981 we read (thanks to Richard Burns) at the Cambridge International Poetry Festival and in 1982, just as the group split up, ITV made a documentary about us and filmed our last performance.

Perhaps I should give you a very brief history of how we all got together. In 1977 I was a mature student doing a Foundation Course at the Medway College of Art and Design where I met Billy Childish. I was already in a poetry and performance group called the Outcrowd with my childhood friend Rob Earl and I invited Billy to read with us in Maidstone. Alan Denman who was a lecturer at the College started a cabaret evening at a local pub called The York which, by the way, was not just one of the roughest pubs in the Medway Towns but also in the whole of England. Also reading with us was Philip Absolon who though not a member of the Medway Poets often came to the venues and performed. Sexton Ming turned up one evening after hearing about us somewhere and asked if he could read. That's basically how we all got together. As you can see by the names I have mentioned, the core of the original Stuckist group came out of this time. Also worth mentioning is Sanchia Lewis (no relation) and Sheila Clarke who were both ex-girlfriends of Billy Childish. Sanchia certainly came to those evenings. At the end of that period Billy's then girlfriend Tracey Emin read with us and appears on the Medway Poets LP record.

Although not part of that group I should also mention Joe Machine who attended a poetry class I was teaching on the Isle of Sheppy in 1991 (I think). He was by far the best of my students on that class and we kept in touch. I think that the North Kent area and the Medway Towns is the birth place of Stuckism."

Q. You've been featured prominently in all the key Stuckist shows, including The Stuckists Punk Victorian held in 2004 at the Walker Art Gallery for the Liverpool Biennial. Care to share any of your experiences?A. "I really don't know how to answer this question. All I can say is that I think that some of the shows were extremely good and others I didn't think were so good.

I think that the best of them probably was the 2004 Walker gallery show. It was good to see all that work gathered together in one place. What was most interesting was the diversity of painting styles but what held them together was the unflinching exploration of the themes. For example the confrontation of the human shadow and the individual approach to spirituality, sexuality and politics."

Q. Concerning the sincerity of Stuckism, you've said the following: "People are never sure if we are being ironic or not. We are not. We are coming from the heart.". Do you think people take Stuckism serious? How do you think assumptions can be changed?

A. "I think a percentage of the people viewing stuckism take it seriously. We have many supporters around the world but they are not often amongst the rich and the powerful and do not always have access to the media. Our detractors rely on the lie of objectivity. Objectivity is always used as an answer to any idea that challenges the status quo but objectivity doesn't exist. All art is subjective. The problem with irony is that everyone has been ironic for so long that they have to keep checking themselves to see if they are being ironic, they might be in danger of saying something that they actually mean. Then they have to backtrack on what they have said.

Assumptions about Stuckism can only be changed with a full and open dialogue with those who do not agree with us. At the moment they are free to make statements about us and we do not often have the means to challenge those statements or even show a different view. I think Charles Thomson has done some great work in publicising us but there is more to us than publicity stunts and I wish we had a better platform to show this. The problem is that people come to our exhibitions with pre-conceived ideas and prejudices."

Q. I'd like to take you back to 1975. You started a series of poetry readings called 'Outcrowd' with Rob Earl. Can you tell our readers a little about that? Did that work influence your future paintings?

A. "I have probably answered a lot of this in a previous part of the interview but I would like to say that those Outcrowd readings were important to me in the sense of them being a school for me to learn to perform my work. My poetry has always been the first art form for me but then I often get to a point where the things that I want to express will not work in words and I have to paint them. When I say have to paint I really mean I have to paint otherwise I start to feel sick. The writing and the painting are not separate but compliment each other and are a process by which my psyche is completed. See it as an electrical circuit that has to be completed. At the outcrowd readings I realised that the reading out of a poem (sometimes singing it) is as important as writing it because the audience give it a power which is ... I was going to say magical and I think that is the only word that will do. Poetry and painting both started in the caves of our ancestors as a magical and spiritual experience. There is a famous cave painting of a dancing Shaman wearing antlers and with the eyes of an owl. I think looking at that picture that it was probably painted on that wall by that Shaman, I can't prove it but I bet he was singing a spell or a prayer as he did it. It's a strange and almost supernatural feeling when you perform a poem and the audience connects with it."

Q. In 1977 you attended MedWay College of Art and Design on a year Foundation Art course, where you met Billy Childish. What was that experience like?

A. "I can remember meeting Billy on the first day of college. I have to say though I didn't really mix socially with many of the students, including Billy, we met at a few parties and we had some good conversations. I think we respected each other. We really got to know each other better after I left. By that time those of us that were serious about our work were out there doing it. It is odd how those artists who have that approach would some how congregate together without realising it. Meeting Billy, Philip Absolon and a few other people were the only good things (for me) that came out of college. I never saw a paintbrush the whole time I was there and the reason I went there was because I wanted someone to show me how to paint properly."

Q. In 1979 you joined up with Childish, Charles Thomson, Sexton Ming, Rob Earl, and Miriam Carney to found The Medway Poets poetry group. Can you tell us about that experience? How did working with so many creative minds influence/inspire you?

A. "We obviously influenced each other but I couldn't give you any definite examples. I think we all respected each other's work enough to give honest criticism. Billy and Sexton were probably the closest to each other at the time and I can see Sexton's off beat humour creeping into some of Billy's work and vice versa. We were all better at performing than we were writing at the time. We were learning our craft. Our writing I believe came to maturity after the group had finished working together."

Q. I read that you knew Tracey Emin and that you helped edit her short stories for her first book, Six Turkish Tales (Hangman Books 1987). What can you tell our readers about that period in your life?

A. "There is not much to say about this except that I typed up the stories for her, I made some editorial suggestions and handed them back to Billy who was publishing them Hangman Books. I think Tracey has a lot of talent but I am not sure how interested she is in literature. For me, I suppose, literature is almost a religion. We all need an editor, I have one, his name is Michael O'Connor.

I used to see a lot of Billy and Tracey at that time. Tracey was living in Rochester in a flat near the castle. In the flat above her lived Eugene Doyen (the film maker and photographer). Billy had been going out with Tracey since he and Sanchia had split up which must have been around 1982. I remember going there quite often and having tea.

There are certain places in Medway that we often used to meet socially, perhaps certain cafes such as Grutts (named after a poem by Ivor Cutler) some people called this the poets cafe (Without an accent over the e!) that was a great place. There were masks hanging on the wall, some by tribal some carved by Billy Childish and paintings by Sexton and Micky Hampshire (of the Milkshakes). I would often find Billy in there playing chess or working on a poem in one of those brown covered notebooks of his. Another place was the house at 107 Rochester Street. Sexton had illuminated the walls with paintings of strange creatures from his unconscious mind ! The new owners I believe painted over them. Sometimes I'd meet up with Billy and Tracey and we would go into the Rose and Crown. I used this in one of my pieces of writing."

Q. You've published six books of poetry and three of short stories. Where does your art and poetry meet? Are they one in the same? Or do you go about each with a different angle?

A. "I think I covered this in an earlier answer. One thing about the painting I will say is that the paintings are like magic mirrors for me. I often find things in them months or years after I have painted them that explain something about myself. Although some of the imagery that I use is a mystery even to me."

Q. In 2005 you founded The Medway Delta Press. The first project was a limited edition set of 3 CDs entitled Voices From The Medway Delta, featuring work by Billy Childish, Sexton Ming, Chris Broderick, and other key names in the Medway scene. Can you tell us about The Medway Delta Press? What do you see for it in the future?

A. "We want to celebrate Medway as a unique and special area.I know that every town has artists and musicians and writers living in it. What is different about Medway is that there is a unique sound. When I say sound I am not just talking about the music but in the voices of the writers as well. Medway is being regenerated at the moment and it looks as if we are going to become a new city I believe that artists of all kinds will play a central part in that regeneration and that the Medway Delta Press can help lead the way ... this probably sounds pretentious but as I am always telling my writing students: Be as pretentious as you can and then try and live up to it!!"

Q. What is your opinion about conceptual art?

A. "A lot of the stuff that calls itself conceptual art isn't. The concepts are often there but not the art. I think what we are doing is conceptual art, our paintings are full of concepts, the difference is we paint them. I see Stuckism/Remodernism as an experiment rather than an attack. We have gone back to the beginning of Modernism and started again, trying not to take the Post-Modernist route. Who knows, we may end up doing the same things as the Brit Artists ... but I don't think so. It is an exciting experiment and you are all welcome to take part in it ... we are not elitist!"

Q. When did you first discover that art would be an important part of your adult life?

A. "When I was five years old. My teacher, Miss Wenn, asked me what I was going to do when I grew up and I said "be an artist"."

Q. How has society influenced your art? Are there any social implications in your art?

A. "Probably only in the way I paint and that's because I am not formally trained so some people would say I am a bad painter simply because of that. One of the things that we have tried to do in Remodernism is to make people re-evaluate what is and is not a good painting. Art is not an exercise in formalism it is a message from the heart.

I do think that it is a mistake to moralise in your work but every person who has a conscious, whether they are an artist or not, should tackle those things that need to be addressed in their lives."

Q. On average, how long does it take you create one painting?

A. "It is impossible to say .. some take weeks a couple have taken years."

Q. Do you have any 'studio rituals'? As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?

A. "I like to listen to music when I paint. Usually classical music or French Chanson."

Q. If you could pinpoint the characteristics of people who collect your art, what would they be?

A. "There is a lot of mythological imagery and symbolism in my work and so they are usually people are interested in those things."

Q. Discuss one of your pieces. What were you thinking when you created it?

A. "Notes on "Kissing The Minotaur" (image above).

Carl Jung said there are only three ways of dealing with the Shadow. Two of them are disastrous. One is to deny it exists which leaves it unchecked, to grow and become powerful. The Shadow ends up by casting us instead of the other way around. The second way is to project it onto other people in the way that the Nazi’s did with the Jews and thereby demonizing them. These two ways leads in the end to genocide. The third and only correct way is to embrace the Shadow; to make friends with the Shadow. Theseus is a failed hero because he killed the Shadow which explains why he abandons Ariadne (his much needed feminine side) on the Isle of Naxos. In my painting Theseus is redeemed by embracing instead of murdering his own dark side, therefore taming the beast within him in an act of love."

Q. Why did you choose the medium(s) that you use?

A. "I use acrylic paint because it is water based and I am messy painter and my wife gets cross when paint is dropped on the floor and this is easier to clean !!!

I like to work in layers and then use scouring pads (the sort you use for washing up) to rub some of the colour off so the colour underneath shines through. I always paint the entire canvas with Titanium White then apply the lighter colours because I like my paintings to have an inner glow."

Q.Where can we see more of your art?

A. "Wikipedia has some and I intend to set up a website in due course to feature more of it. There is some on the stuckist website but they are earlier paintings and I do not like them as they do not represent what I am doing now."

Q. Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?A. "I am not represented by a gallery and there is nothing in the pipeline .... but I am open to offers !! There is a possible exhibition in France and one in Germany but nothing definite yet."

Q. What trends do you see in the 'art world'?

A. "It seems as if the art establishment has discovered painting again. Of course a lot of that had to do with Stuckism although they will never credit us with it !"

Q. Any tips for emerging artists?

A. "Yeah, paint what matters to you and don't shy away from exploring the dark side, it is the only way through to the light."

Q. Has your work ever been censored? If so, how did you deal with it?

A. "Once that I can remember. A painting of an angel was removed from a exhibition in Medway because the Council thought it might upset people with strong religious ideas. How could I deal with it? I had to accept it, they were running the show .. the other 10 paintings stayed and I think that they were probably more controversial if anything but too subtle for my censors to pick up on it."

Q. What was the toughest point in your career as an artist? Have you ever hit rock-bottom?

A. "It is a constant struggle. I think my work is probably of least interest to gallery owners than most of the other Stuckists but it is what I do so I can't stop."

Q. In one sentence... why do you create art?

A. "I have to."

Q. What can you tell our readers about the art scene in your area?

A. "As I have said before Medway has a brilliant and unique art scene but it is often overlooked by those who have the resources to help it nevertheless it flourishes."

Q. Has politics ever entered your art?

A. "More so with my writing, for instance in 1989 I carried out a series of poetry readings in Nicaragua in support of the revolution and against the illegal covert war carried out by the United States. Also I have read at demonstrations outside of the Papal Nuncio and the US embassy in London on behalf of Native American Rights and against the war in Iraq (both of them!). Also throughout the 1980's I read in support of Human Rights in Chile, one of my poems, The Red Guitar, dedicated to the murdered songwriter Victor Jara was published in Chile Fights. My poems have been translated into Spanish and broadcast on a rebel radio station in El Salvador. In 1987 I organised a Medway Poets Reunion Tour on behalf of Amnesty International."

Q. Does religion, faith, or the lack thereof play a part in your art?

A. "Religion no, spirituality yes. I believe as a European, like every European, I have a Christian and Pagan component in my cultural identity. I am not a lover of organised religion. I think that Christianity is a great myth ... and as Gandhi said "we should try it sometime".

When I say myth I mean something that is true because all myths are true. I have little time for facts as all facts have a political bias to them whereas myths are eternal.

I teach courses on mythology having studied it for a good half of my life. The work of Joseph Campbell has been a major influence on me and also the writings of the American theologian and prophet Matthew Fox."

Q. Is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the 'art world'?

A. "My art is very personal and it is something that I need to do for me. In saying that I am a human being and all human beings share the same biology and spirit so I hope that what is useful to me may also be useful to those who read my poems, stories or look at my poems."I hope that you have enjoyed my interview with Bill Lewis. Feel free to critique or discuss his work.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

I recently interviewed artist Lyuba Zahova. Lyuba is a painter from Bulgaria. In September 2006, Lyuba Zahova represented Bulgaria at the international art festival in Monastir, Tunisia. She has concentrated on a painterly technique and is interested in the physicality of paint. She utilizes this skill to create modern compositions.

Lyuba has stated that art for her is a way of living, a fight for a better world; overcoming the impossible; a protest against the negativism; a search for beauty and perfection; lifting up to the truth of God, to achieve understanding and harmony between the people. Thus, she is interested in creating paintings that are focused on the purity of painting itself. She is interested in the process of painting.

Lyuba has exhibited since 1980. She has also work as an art instructor and director of a fine art gallery in Shabla, Bulgaria. In 2005 she published her first book, 'Born Near the Lighthouse', which featured her poetry and paintings.

Q. When did you first discover that art would be an important part of your adult life?

A. "Since I was a child, I was delighted by the books with colorful illustrations. I was copying the drawings and dreamt of becoming an artist. I’ve never given up my dream. The thirst for beauty flows in my veins. I’ve been working towards it my entire adult life. The art became my way of life, I breathe through it."

Q. How has creating art shaped you professionally and personally?

A. "The art has fully shaped my personality. It gives me power to live and move on. It trained my personal discipline and proactive attitude towards reality. It has shaped my view of life and worldly philosophy. It has made me a perfectionist."

Q. How has society influenced your art? Are there any social implications in your art?

A. "Two thirds of my life had passed during communism. It is normal my art to have social traces. Not accidentally, the dominant color in my first paintings is red. This represents my protest against social iniquity."

Q. What are your artistic influences? Has anyone inspired you?

A. "I had studied art from the Russian painters. In my early works I was strongly influenced by the landscapes of Isaac Levitan, Valentin Serov, Ivan Shishkin. I have continued with the impressionists, I like Paul Cezanne, Vinsent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguine. From the Bulgarian fine art I’ve drawn experience from the Great painter Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master. I appreciate the contemporary Bulgarian fine art, especially the artist Dimitar Kazakov."

Q. Tell me a little about your background. Are your past experiences reflected in the work you do today? If so, how?

A. "I was born on the Black sea coast in Shabla, Bulgaria, on 27th of February 1952. My father was a farmer and an extremely diligent man. My mother was a very skillful craftswoman. Both of them died in their early 60-ties. I still remember the private land confiscation in 1956 and the police gun on my father’s temple. Since that time I feel that gun on my temple too. I had also buried two of my sisters who were unable to adapt to the harsh reality. To me, God has given the power to hold on. My entire life is a fight against iniquity and this is seen in my early works."

Q. If you could pinpoint the characteristics of people who collect your art, what would they be?

A. "Till 1989 I worked as a fine art teacher and director of the Fine art gallery in my home town Shabla. From 1990 till 1992 I’ve been painting in Germany where I found many connoisseurs for my art. After the democracy break in Bulgaria, I came back to my country but the art market was ruined down completely. This was the hardest time in my career. It is just now with the development of the economy and before our entry in the European Union, that the art market is opening slowly. Only the well-off people or collectors are buying art in my country. I think art is not affordable for the average person. To understand and buy a real art you should be above the materialistic world."

Q. Discuss one of your pieces. What were you thinking when you created it?

A. "“Touch” created November 2006The painting “Touch” is an illustration of the poem “Late Love Dates” for the talented Bulgarian poet Plamen Lakerov. I’ve created it while listening to the music of Jean Michel Jarre. It shows the love pain and searches of the ‘Other’ beyond oneself. The love is a break in our earthly world and therefore brings resistance and pain. Only the God’s beauty and love aren’t an illusion, because they belong to the world of freedom. This is how the pain reaching the sky transforms into music. In the painting the gaps in the time and the heart are represented as strings. And you can hear the cosmic music! And the sidereal moment is the ‘Touch’."

Q. What is your artistic process?

A. "The process of creating an artwork is very spontaneous with me and depends on the feeling I wake up in the morning. I will stand in front of the canvas only if I am in good condition. I’m painting with inspiration, stroke and huge internal power. The purity inside the artist is very important in order to freely recreate the truth."

Q. Why did you choose the medium(s) that you use?

A. "My means of expression are determined by my temperament and character. I have to be real and actual in my works so my message can reach the people. I am a dynamic person and I’mfrequently changing my working style. I’ve been through several periods using different means of expression and this change is a feature of my self evolution."

Q. Do you have a degree or do you plan to attend school for art? If so, how has it helped your art career?

A. "The academic training gave me the theoretic foundation, but in actual fact I am very self-dependent. I have worked out my own style with hard work. The artist should be always actual so he can respond to the current events in time in his own way, he has to be an individualist."

Q. Where can we see more of your art?

A. "In my working studio and of course on my web site at http://www.artabus.com/lyubazahova"

Q. Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?A. "I do not have a special gallery to represent me. My daughter Zornitsa is my manager and is dealing with all my public appearances and sales online. I am planning another solo exhibition in the beginning of next year."

Q. What galleries have you exhibited in?

A. "My paintings have been exhibited in various galleries - private and public in Dobrich, Varna, and Sofia, Bulgaria, the castle of Augustusburg, Germany.

In 1990 I had my first solo exhibition in Schwalmtal, Germany.In September 2006, after my participation in the International Plastic Arts festival in Monastir, Tunisia.

The technology evolution of our time has made it possible for me to exhibit my paintings at many online art galleries and be a part of the World Wide Web in real time."

Q. What trends do you see in the 'art world'?

A. "The tendencies in the world art are positive, but quite drained out. They are connected with the technological evolution, a reason to run to extremes. For me the art is vivid and of use when it derives from life. Especially vital is the African art, where people are closer to God."

Q. Any tips for emerging artists?

A. "Apart from the theoretic and practical knowledge, the young artists have to develop their values on solid life philosophy. They have to fight for a better world."

Q. Has your work ever been censored? If so, how did you deal with it?

A. "There was a censorship in Bulgaria during communism. It happened to me. Artists who were not members of the communist party were condemned. To have a talent was not enough. The regime needed people without any personality to support it."

Q. What was the toughest point in your career as an artist? Have you ever hit rock-bottom?

A. "The most difficult time in my career were the years from 1992 till 2004 when my country was through transformation which affected many artists. There us no demand for art when the nation is hungry. As you can see I’ve waited a long time to come up again…"

The contemporary Bulgarian art is on a world level – Bulgaria has very talented artists."

Q. Has politics ever entered your art?

A. "After the launch of democracy in Bulgaria, politics no longer influence my art. Anyway I stay an artist with a proactive civil position."

Q. Is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the 'art world'?

A. "The art for me, is an expression of feelings, a fight for a better world and overcoming the impossibilitie. A protest against negativism and a search for beauty and perfection, lifting up to the truth of God in order to achieve understanding and harmony between mankind.

My name means Love and this is my message to the world!"

I hope that you have enjoyed my interview with Lyuba Zahova. Feel free to critique or discuss her art.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

I recently interviewed artist David Vedoe. Mr. Vedoe works in a number of mediums and styles. He is best known for his Architectural Art, Animal Art, Still Life, and Abstract Art. He is a serious artist who infuses his work with a personal energy.

Mr. Vedoe has gained much acclaim for his architectural and still life paintings. He utilizes traditional oil painting techniques combined with a more contemporary approach to lighting of the objects and to the colors used.

Q. When did you first discover that art would be an important part of your adult life?

A: "Both my parents are artists, so I grew up with art as an integrated part of my early life, I always had access to an abundance of art materials.

I am born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. I went to a private school that focused on the artistic side in children - I still vividly remember the taste of Green Finger Paint! Art was what I did at home, so I probably had other artistic endeavors with the materials in class...that is how it got in my blood.

At twelve I began visiting art museums by myself and began building and painting scale models in plastic with little tableaux/scenes with trees and houses. I was really into it and exhibited them with adults that were semi professional and all pro model builders and in shops that sold those model kits.

I never much liked the limited choices of models - it was mostly all this military/soldier/army/air force paraphernalia, but it sharpened my skills and kept me away from most trouble. Art as an important and practical part of my work began when I was studying architecture in Copenhagen, Denmark From 1978 to 1986."

Q. How has society influenced your art? Are there any social implications in your art?

A: "Art is a reflection of life and society seen through the mind of the artist. Yes, I engage in my work via the inspiration from my daily life. Some aspects of my art is a serious response life in general, other aspects to scenarios concerning the way we house our selves I.E.: Architecture, yet other aspects are silly/goofy responses to life as in a humorously twisted image of an animal - I love to paint dogs!"

Q. On average, how long does it take you to create one painting?

A: "The answer must be somewhat a non answer: it depends on the size and complexity of the painting in question, I paint sizes from Miniatures to Murals, so the time involved varies widely. I can paint a miniature with so much detail and in oil paint with washes that it takes over a week to finish......I also do a lot of pencil sketches with oil washes on paper that are done in a day or so. Many of my larger complex images take months to finish, one has thirty people in it."

Q. Where can we see more of your art?

A: "I maintain a studio/showroom in Copenhagen, Denmark staffed by my mother, who is herself a great painter and one of my students as well. Then I have a studio showroom here at the house in Taos, New Mexico. But for fast access look up: art-architecture.blogspot.com You will find a variety of my art there. Fine Art, Architectural Art, Animal Art, Abstract Art and various sketches. Enjoy! For Still Life paintings see: www.gotaos.com/varoe"

Q. Do you have any 'studio rituals'? As in, do you listen to certain types of music while working? What helps to get you in the mood for working?

A: "That would be Classical Music. Especially Baroque and Medieval Music inspires me as I paint. I play classical improvisations on the piano as a meditation form if I get stuck as I paint or just to relax and reflect on the process and choose colors. I don't read music well, so it used to amuse people that I had a big Color Chart on my piano where the written music normally sit.

The best motivation I know of is called commission work.......Highly glorious and a paycheck as a huge incentive at the end for well executed work. It is an amazingly rewarding feeling to collaborate on and to lend ones talent, expertise and skills to fulfill someone else's vision. It sharpens my own people skills and gives great insight to other peoples ideas and values. I learn much about art from this."

Q. If you could pinpoint the characteristics of people who collect your art, what would they be?

A: "Pinpointing is not quite possible, but the people that are attracted to my art are often the types that reflect on life and are still interested in educating themselves, young as old, and have an affinity for analyzing and understanding their surroundings. Active minds. They come from many different walks of life. Fortunately I have met so many of the people that buy and collect my art. It is important to know that the art is ending up in someone’s life and to get the feed back from what impact a piece of art have on their life."

Q. Discuss one of your pieces.

A: "Lets take "Adobe Mansion" (image above). (Adobe is the mud-clay and straw brick that is an ancient building material here in the South West region.)This is an imaginative habitat in a setting combined of many places I have seen, a bit of a dream house/studio/show space to puts around in and create art in.

Imagine sitting in the botanical tower for breakfast on a cold, but sunny, winter day and soak up the rays before going in to the easel and start the days work of researching, sketching, painting and dealing with art???

Most of the thinking actually happens before I paint - when the concept of the painting is put together in a series of concept sketches and brainstorms and tests of areas that need tweaking/adjusting before the paint is applied.

During the painting process color is of essence and achieving a balance that supports the image and the subject matter. Lights and shadows are important. There is actually about 15 people in this painting, they get my attention so they appear as they belong there in the final artworks ambiance with a presencethat explains the architecture of the building.

Applying the paint can afford this meditative state of timeless bliss, that I strive to achieve.That is the one special value of a piece of art I create that I can not really sell, but hopefully that part of the process is visible in the finished piece of art..... Let me see, what I am aiming at here is that there is many layers of value in an art piece.

In addition to the monetary value, there is a value in feeling the satisfaction from knowing that other people derive pleasure from viewing, deciphering, studying and being elevated by a piece of art. Art is a way of sharing values, weather it is Romantic Art or the portrayal of an artistic romance with color, light and some amorphous emotion in a non figurative, non linear moment.

A real successful piece of art for me is when the owners and viewers come back and say: "This piece keeps inspiring me, it looks different during the light changes of a day and I keep seeing new aspects of the image".

Q. Do you have a degree or do you plan to attend school for art? If so, how did it help you as an artist? What can you tell us about the art department that you attended?

A: "I have a Masters Degree in Architecture from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, Denmark. Studying architecture involves: drawing/seeing - understanding size/scale/volume/texture - understanding the context of an object (whether a person in a painting or a building on a lot or in an architectural illustration/painting).

I began studying restoration of old buildings which included courses of croquis drawing, perspective drawing classes, and courses in visual communication, all knowledge that I use and adapt in today's work.

Later I studied and designed various scales of buildings within architectural formats from small pavilions, smaller family dwellings, studio/house/gallery combinations over Alternative Health Centers to Landscape Interpretation and Town Planning.

I always made a great deal out of the drawings adding all sorts of media: Mixed Media, Color Pencil, Water Color, Pastel & Oil Pastel.I ended up selling some of my art to one of my architecture professors that also paints.

My final project for my masters degree was a 3 story studio, house and gallery for a painter/sculptor. I already then knew that I was to pursue painting as one of the main components of my career.

I am basically auto didactic or self taught as a painter. Any good education will teach the student a process for further learning that can be applied for the rest of that students life, with modifications according to topic(s)."

Q. Why did you choose the medium(s) that you use?

A: "Curiosity! They are out there.....I Paint in Oil, Acrylic, Pastel, Oil Pastel & Mixed Media. Mostly I begin with some sort of pencil/pen drawing, then my favorites are: Oil on board/paper/canvas/walls.Oil paint is the ultimate for changing everything from color, light and shadow to viscosity. Virtually limitless possibilities.

Acrylics are also a lot of fun, dries faster, smells less are less expensive and are great for under painting in an oil painting. I also love Splatter painting as a contrast to the more precise techniques of visualization - Wahoo! - it is highly liberating and affords accidental, non logical or non controlled imagery. It is a totally different process from the other art forms I do."

Q. Where can we see more of your art?

A: "I maintain a studio/showroom in Copenhagen, Denmark staffed by my mother, who is herself a great painter and one of my students as well. Then I have a studio showroom here at the house in Taos, New Mexico. But for fast access look up: art-architecture.blogspot.comYou will find a variety of my art there. Fine Art, Architectural Art, Animal Art, Abstract Art and various sketches. Enjoy!"

Q. Are you represented by a gallery? Do you have any upcoming exhibits?

A: "I used to own and operate several galleries here in Taos. But mostly I sell directly to collectors and do commission works or site specific artwork that is created on location. I would be happy to find good Gallery representation. So do not hesitate to contact me dear gallery owners.

I have five portfolios with photos of artwork, in many categories, that I show people to pinpoint new commission works and projects for illustration, design and visualization. It would be interesting to show my Art - Architecture in a cross disciplinary forum.

Interest in architecture is on the rise with all the hoopla about new Starchitects and a multitude of new museums and large public facilities being built around the globe. I have chosen to focus much of my art where the disciplines of art and architecture meet."

Q. What galleries have you exhibited in? Can you provide links to their sites?

A: "Unfortunately viewers/consumers of art are bombarded with multitudes of low grade art, boring crap concocted on someone's kitchen table. (The place of origin is obviously truly unimportant ) - Art is about discrimination, between what is important and essential and what is not!......."I hope for tha day when people PAY for an art fix on their IPod's and MP3'S ........." Just kidding."

Q. Any tips for emerging artists?

A: "Finish works of art to your very best and unique ability. Why else bother??? Then do some introspection to evaluate if you NEED to do art for a living or you can live and just get a good fix by creating art for yourself and as gifts for friends and family, or as a purely private action not intended for any kind of exhibition. That will keep your mind at peace. If you chose to be a professional artist then do it full throttle, learn the whole trade. Financially successful artists are the ones that also master the commercial side of the trade."

Q. Has your work ever been censored? If so, how did you deal with it?

A: "Any submittal to juried shows are a form of censorship....If I am not selected - I have only one way to deal with that:Get better, keep at it, get even......(with the required level)....then above and the doors will open."

Q. What was the toughest point in your career as an artist? Have you ever hit rock-bottom?

A: "My abstract/non figurative art sold as hot cakes in Denmark in 1982 - I painted over 50 abstract/non figurative pieces and sold over 35 of them in five weeks. That was great. But then I chose to rush back to participate in a show in Taos.....It turned out to be a big dud, - so folks: If you have something that works for selling your art then analyze/understand why, perfect it, nourish it, and respect and enjoy it - for it might else go away!

It was not rock bottom - but it really pissed me off, since it was my own fault. Allow me to add a highlight to contrast that ordeal: Once I pushed myself to doing abstract/nonfigurative art: (which scared me shitless....it is terrifying to actually paint something that you don't know what it is.....but then you get used to it and see it as a new medium for expression on a non verbal intuitive dream level.).

In two years I painted over a hundred paintings varying from 10" x 10" to 5FT x 7FT mostly on paper and on panels, and many of them on top of my architectural sketches, illustrations, renderings and drawings! I actually sold most of my work that I had done as an architecture student, now recycled in to Fine Art."

Q. In one sentence... why do you create art?A: Art is the Spice, the Aroma, the Touch, the Music and the Vision for my Spirit, my Soul, my Life.

Q. What can you tell our readers about the art scene in your area?

A: "Taos, New Mexico is an old art colony established in the beginning of last century - tons of fascinating history - tons of artists and galleries - between 60 to 100 galleries in a small beautiful town consisting of Native American, Hispanic, Anglo communities all nestled at the foot of Taos Mountain and built around Taos Pueblo, the longest continually inhabited dwelling in the world!!!

An art piece in its self built entirely of Adobe bricks, it has no running water and no electricity. See the link above for a painted image. As an artist or art aficionado you will love Taos! However for most artists it is not an easy task to solely make money here by producing art.

Most artist here have two or three jobs. One old hippie, a rather cynical jeweler/artist here once 'pain-ter-staken-ly' described it: "Taos is just a Shit hole with a View!!!" Obviously most people here do not agree with him........"

Q. Has politics ever entered your art?

A: "Well, let's see:....I have made political statements regarding Architecture/Planning and Zoning/Building Codes etc. Mostly as offering a slightly off angle to the subject or focusing on an idea from a different angle than the politically correct one. Then again I have tons of politically incorrect/controversial satirical sketches of various subject matter, these are not really made for public consumption......maybe one day I will find a forum for those....

In general I aim at art as to help heighten and enlighten the human spirit.....there is enough drudgery and despair and ugly suffering out there in the "Real World" - so as to aspire to create a 'sacred' space within humanity, sharing a potential feast of the senses is what art offers at its best.

Most young artists' art, saturated in political issues, created from a point of rebellion; they highlight the unjust, the wrong, the unappealing till they find a balance within themselves, and their art changes to be more of a celebration of life. The political issues fall to the back burner as life becomes more joyful.

Lately, I try to keep art as my 'sacred' space untainted by the particular profanity of politics."

Q. Does religion, faith, or the lack thereof play a part in your art?

A: "The answer is yes. I am not religious. Most religion boils down to old dogma, stifled in tradition....All tradition must have been the Avant Garde at one point in time!

Art is not separated from deep issues or high lofty Ideology, Philosophy, Ethics, Morality, Sexuality OR Religion, - it embraces it. Art is an Examination of Reality - Fantasy - Anything presented in an appealing (not necessarily pretty) or dramatic (not necessarily traumatic) conceptual format. So yes, I have used imagery and concepts normally associated with religion in my artwork.

Faith is a binding and dividing link between the dichotomy of established religion and secular rational objectivism. I Choose to have faith inrational objectivism.

Creating art is a spiritual activity - a self educational tool to understand this world, our own little worlds, and how they meet and interact, where there is friction, happiness, stagnation or progress. Spiritual activity in this context to be understood as of or relating to the mind or intellect."

Q. Is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the 'art world'?

A: "Oh yes, but I rest my case for now. May Art be in your life!"

I hope that you have enjoyed my interview with David Vedoe. Feel free to critique or discuss his art.